I'm one of those people that bought a used DX7IIFD because they were new when I was 12. it still has some very useful if not classic sounds that just aren't duplicated on sample synths. full tines, tubular bells, clav, fat, raspy brass, etc. and you can create more wierd sounds than you can shake a stick at. it's a little cleaner sounding than the original DX, but not thinner sounding as some claim(I've played both side by side midied together with the exact same patch) in fact the II is double fat if you use the poly unison mode. also an excellent controller with pitch bend and mod wheels, 2 sliders and 4 pedal jacks.

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Saturday-Jan-09-1999 at 04:14

Cal Johnson
a hobbyist user
from Canada
writes:

My cat jumped from my Marshall stack to the top of an unsecured 6ft. speaker column. Weighing about 20 pounds, his momentum toppled the speaker, which clipped the end of the DX7 II, flipped it upside-down, and landed face-down on the concrete floor of my basement. Other than a broken key, the keyboard was fine, functioning perfectly. We've owned this thing for years, and been pretty happy with it. It has stood up to years of road work, and we've never had a problem. I recently bought a used Juno 60, and I must say that I think the Juno is a much sweeter sound. The Juno is great for just plugging in a set of headphones and playing away, while the DX7 II seems to only sound good when its used in conjunction with external effects. However, there are literally thousands of sounds on the net for the DX7 II, and it does sound good once its given some wettness. Its construction is unbelievably strong & durable! If you are looking for weirdness, look no further. If its strings you want, or rich bass sounds, go for a Juno 60.

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Sunday-Oct-11-1998 at 22:56

Steven Clements
from Canada
writes:

This was the first synth I ever bought. I've also installed the Grey Matter Response E! which gives me 4 times the number of onboard patches and performances - that is a real bonus.... E! also provides a built in sequencer, but I never bothered with that.... I continue to use the Keyboard and with some external effects (none on board) this baby still comes up with great sounds. You want patches? With out a doubt there are more "free" patches floating all over the internet for this thing than any other synth. Pads can be very sexy - never too fat when dry, but add some chorus - verb - or distortion and you're on. Drums are rather funky and NEVER expect to get a 909 or 808 out of this... but you can create some interesting timbres, drums that sound like the synare (remember that stuff) increase the regen on your delay and DUB's the werd.

yeah if you can find one... get it....

posted Monday-Sep-14-1998 at 19:15

Don
a professional user
from USA
writes:

There is no synth better than the DX7II for getting a great Wurlitzer EP sound. This is one of those classic keyboards that will be used for years to come. Eventually static samples get old and tiresome. Going back to the DX7 and maybe a Moog or Roland Juno 106 keeps things fresh. Since the 70s revival is about over, the 80s turn at being rehashed is right around the corner. DX sounds will be indespensible for sounding 'current' in 2-3 years.

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Thursday-Sep-03-1998 at 12:23

Johan Nilsson
a hobbyist user
from Sweden
writes:

This is a real beast! The DX7-II synhtesizer is made out of metal (and some plastic) and it seems to be &quot;nuke-proof&quot;. The synth is really hard to program because FM isn't that intuitive but it offers quite different sounds compared to the analog synths. You can get those dull FM sounds (don't let them fool you) and you can also get some really impressive sounds like bells, other high treble sounds and great basses. More tweak -&gt; better result! The keyboard is far better than that of a Roland D-20 or a Roland D-50. It serves as a quite good masterkeyboard too. Don't forget that the synth can function as a bi-timbral mono synth offering you two channels (with separate outputs) independent of each other (apart from the polyphony). Remember that I've told you my opinion!